November 29, 2011 – ANTARCTICA –New research shows the Southern Ocean is storing more heat than any other ocean in the world. The study, carried out by Tasmania’s Antarctic Climate and Ecosystem centre, has found that carbon dioxide levels in the Southern Ocean will be corrosive to some shellfish by 2030 if current trends continue. Scientists say deep moving currents around Antarctica are the reason why the Southern Ocean is warming faster than other oceans. The Southern Ocean occupies about 22 per cent of the area of the total ocean, and yet it absorbs about 40 per cent of the carbon dioxide and about half the heat that’s stored by the ocean,” climate scientist Steve Rintoul says. Dr. Rintoul says the warming extends for four kilometres, from the ocean surface to the sea floor. He says satellite measurements show the Southern Ocean has been warming by about 0.2 degrees Celsius per decade. “One of the impacts of a warming ocean may be that the ice that flows off Antarctica into the ocean may melt more rapidly,” he said. “Once that ice reaches the ocean and is floating, if we melt it, it doesn’t change the sea level because that ice is already floating, just like an ice cube in your drink, when it melts it doesn’t cause the cup to overflow.” But what does happen is that as the ice floating around the edge of Antarctica thins and breaks up and disappears, the ice that’s on the continent slides off the continent into the sea more rapidly, and that does increase sea level rise. “In the last few years we found that some parts of Antarctica are thinning rapidly, indicating that ice is flowing off the continent into the ocean and causing an increase in sea level.” The Southern Ocean has helped absorb the Earth’s excess heat and carbon dioxide. But Dr. Rintoul says as carbon dioxide dissolves, it changes the chemistry of sea water. “As we dissolve carbon dioxide in the ocean we change the chemistry and eventually we’ll cross the threshold between waters where the shells are stable, and waters where the sea water’s actually corrosive to the shell material and starts to dissolve the shells that the animals are making,” he warned. “We used to think that threshold would be crossed in about 2050 in the Southern Ocean. We now understand that that’s likely to happen a few decades earlier, perhaps as soon as 2030. Left – a 5.0 earthquake strikes the Balleny Island region near Antartica. –ABC

The ocean does store carbon and has done so for years but temperatures have been rising in the oceans only relatively recently. More dramtic volcanic episodes on land means more volcanism is taking place in the oceans- this is the primary cause, in my opinion, of ocean temperature rise around this region.

Probably, more than most will admit. Submarine volcanism accounts for 80% of all volcanic activity on the planet and 75% of all magma output. We can look at all the recent activity at the hotspot of Ascension Island near Antarctica as one such indicator that the world is rapidly morphing…

You are correct. It should be noted that this scientist, Dr. Rintoul, that posted his findings gets his funding from the UN. The reader can search on that to verify that it is true. The UN and the global elitist have a huge stake in the global cap and tax scheme…trillions of dollars. Since the UN is essentially his funding to allow his projects to go forward, it is plausible that he is going to print data that coincides with the scheme to transfer trillions in wealth to a few, unelected individuals. Also it is fair to note that just 25 years ago, the propaganda went from global cooling, then to global warming and now to just climate change. I think I heard one person call it, “The War on Climate Change” another war that can never be won.http://news.yahoo.com/huge-underwater-volcanoes-discovered-near-antarctica-021204714.html

ALVIN: this is conntradictory to:
Warmists certainly don’t. Prophecy is their stock in trade. They’re not even good at theory, let alone evidence. One of their more absurd prophecies is that global warming will lead to greater ocean acidity which will dissolve the shells of various marine animals. This is based on the fact that CO2 in water forms carbonic acid. What they fail to mention, however, is that warming REDUCES the ability of water to absorb CO2 — so warming should in fact make the ocean more alkaline.

I agree Clare. They pitched this one with a lot of spin. My reading says that continental Antarctica has had a slow but steady cooling since about 1958 and has been accumulating ice during the past decade. The only bits that are melting are the warm fringes which are washed by mild sea-water and the Peninsular which has a maritime climate.
No-one bothers pointing out that for snow to fall on the worlds driest continent there must be a source of water vapour – the Southern Ocean. We can fully expect massive snowfall and further ice accumulation in Antarctica and this will continue the current drop in sea-levels but they “forgot” to mention that one too.
“Our ABC” is sadly just another Government mouth-piece.

How many times can the old “ocean acidification catastrophe” hoax surface in the deaf, dumb and blind media? I do not believe a word of this article, there is no bigger media shill for the verified hoax of CAGW than ABC!

If there was any real journalistic curiosity alive at ABC News they would dive into the Climategate 2 emails. Don’t hold your breath!!!!!!!!!!

This might be about trees, or lack of them. Unfortunately, like all our other natural resources, they have become scare and getting scarcer everyday. Carbon dioxide is no longer in check, and increasing around the planet.

Carbon dioxide is a “trace” gas in the atmosphere. “Trace” as in almost not there. And of that tiny trace gas, about 97% is naturally occurring, having nothing to do with human activity. If all human industrial activity were to cease, there would be virtually no measurable reduction in carbon dioxide. Now, whether or not you believe in global warming, climate change, or call it what you will, minuscule human contributions to the trace amounts of CO2 in the atmosphere are NOT the cause. Neither will taxation, massive wealth transfers, carbon trading, etc. change the climate one iota. Even the village idiot should be able to see what is really going on here. It’s all about money, power and corruption.

Thank you for that Dave. Yes, we have little to do with increasing carbon dioxide in our atmosphere. However we have everything to do with decreasing forests around our globe.
I do not have your wisdom about how we are affecting our Earth. And so cannot question anything you have said.
As the village idiot, I will really enjoy watching the remaining of the Amazon being chopped down without any regard,….. to anything. As Evo I will despair.
Your “trace” description of this gas is absolutely accurate. Your description of any outcome of, even a mild distortion of its balance, in our atmosphere is yours, and yours alone.
Yes, I believe we have nothing to do, outside of a minor role, in the events that are taking place on climate change. However I do not think for a moment, that we are completely innocent. Then again, I am the village idiot, and simply lack your……wisdom.

although it does sound like alarming findings, aren’t new glaciers forming in the Rockies and Andes Mountain Ranges? If this is so, then the earth is not really in a warming state. @Richard: thank you for informing us that this scientist is affiliated with the UN. It makes more sense that underwater volcanos are most likely the cause of heating the water and not the absorption of CO2.

Thanks again Alvin for informing us about all those changes and the truth about it. It’s sad that human can keep their eyes closed against so much evidence. I like this citation from Peter Ustinov: ”If the world should blow itself up, the last audible voice would be that of an expert saying it can’t be done.” So true…

Thank you Philip. This is one of the reasons I love this site. Paranoia and fear are normal for us a mere humans. We do tend to react and get emotional when disturbing news hits us. It takes research to discover the truth, and since there is so much research that needs to be done, more than one person has time for, I count on people like Alvin, luisport, and all the other bloggers on here. Everyone has their own expertise and area of interest.

Yes, I do believe in a higher power, an Almighty God who is preparing this planet for His New Earth.

Oh give up on the carbon dioxide levels please, you really think we little people on this big big planet can change the natural cycles of the world and universe ? Carbon d. levels are 0.03 which are SO low that it can not have ANY effect on weather patterns or melting of ice in the Antarctic. Get real !